China PR 1-6 England: Rampant Lionesses win the group, Lauren James shines

Lauren James had a hand in all-but one England goal as the Lionesses secured top spot in Women's World Cup Group D with a 6-1 win over China to set up a last-16 meeting with Nigeria.

2023 Women's World Cup

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Match Report

If Sarina Wiegman could have written a script it would have been this. Six goals, five different scorers and another player-of-the-match display from the breathtaking Lauren James.

The Lionesses saved their best performance until last, beating China 6-1 to top group D in style and set up a last 16 tie with Nigeria.

Alessia Russo, who had not scored for six games before yesterday, got the Lionesses up and running inside four minutes. Lauren Hemp, a player who has looked out of sorts and underconfident, made it 2-0 on her return to the starting XI.

Chloe Kelly responded to being dropped by coming off the bench to score England’s fifth. Rachel Daly, who was playing in her third different position of the tournament, also got on the scoresheet. But it was James, who scored two and assisted three, who was the star of the show once again.

The forward was cruelly denied what would have been a sensational hat-trick by VAR - which tried its best to get in the way of England’s result. But even the technology could not get in the way of this display.

All the talk before kick-off had been how England would cope without Keira Walsh, arguably their most important player. Nobody could have predicted Wiegman’s solution. A complete change of formation and a first ever start for a player who was not part of the squad in April. But this was the most comfortable the Lionesses have looked all tournament.

They played what looked to be a 3-4-1-2 - with three changes from the team that beat Denmark. Wiegman brought in Katie Zelem, who had never started a game for England before yesterday, for Walsh.

Jess Carter partnered Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood in a back three, while Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly played as makeshift wingers in possession and wing-backs out of possession. Hemp partnered Russo in attack - an untried combination that proved to be clinical.

Wiegman has gone from never tinkering her team to making five changes in two matches. From predictable to unpredictable. The only time she had ever played a back three as England manager resulted in a 20-0 win over Latvia.

Not a bad blueprint, but China posed a far greater challenge - or they should have. From the moment England took the lead, they looked resigned to defeat. After well-documented struggles in front of goal, it took just four minutes for the Lionesses to find the net.

Hemp’s cross was cleared only as far as James, who headed the ball down to Russo just inside the box. She controlled it with the outside of her foot then finished into the near post. The second goal saw England turn defence into attack.

Bright, another player who looked back to her best, won the ball on the halfway line before laying it off to James. Her pass split China’s defence in two and the rapid Hemp raced through to finish smartly into the bottom left corner. It was England at their best.

The third goal, though, was China at their worst. England won a free-kick on the right wing and China, somehow, decided to leave James completely unmarked on the edge of the box.

Alex Greenwood laid the ball back to her and the forward had time to send a fantastic strike into the bottom left corner. James then thought she had scored a sensational fourth just before half-time.

After picking up the ball on the edge of the box, she cut inside on her left foot and hit a sublime strike into the top corner. But the goal was contentiously ruled out after a VAR check. Bronze was offside when the initial cross came in, but did not touch the ball until she was onside. Referee Casey Reibelt interpreted Bronze as interfering with play but nobody, even the official, seemed quite sure.

Bronze’s bad luck with VAR continued into the second half when China were awarded a penalty after the defender was adjudged to have handled in the area. The ball bounced up and hit the inside of Bronze’s arm. It was harsh, but it was given, and Wang Shuang converted to pull a goal back.

But VAR could not get in the way of England and James finding the net again. Carter floated a ball to the back-post and James met it first time to side foot into the top right corner. On ITV commentary, James’ Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said ‘we are witnessing brilliance’.

Shortly after, James grabbed her third assist to set-up Kelly for England’s fifth. There was more than a slice of luck, with Yu Zhu coming miles out of her box, only to miss the ball and leave Kelly with an empty net to tap into.

There was still time for a sixth, with Daly volleying Kelly’s cross into the roof of the net. Wiegman may change her team again for next week’s last 16 clash with Nigeria, who will pose a different type of challenge to the teams previously faced.

Yesterday, the manager made a mockery of the suggestions she did not have a plan B for playing without Walsh. She clearly has a plan A-Z. Importantly, the opposition - as well as everyone else, will not know what to expect.

What's next?

England will face Nigeria in the last 16 on Monday, with kick off at 8.30am in Brisbane.

What is the schedule?

The group stage runs over a two-week period, finishing on August 3. Group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.

The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.

The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.

A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.

Line-ups

China PR XI: Lou Jiahui, Wang Shuang, Li Mengwen, Wang Shanshan, Yao Lingwei, Zhu Yu, Wei Yao, Yang Lina, Zhang Linyan, Chen Qiaozhu, Wu Chengshu

Subs: Gu Yasha, Wu Haiyan, Zhang Xin, Tang Jiali , Xiao Yuyi, Gao Chen, Dou Jiaxing, Xu Huan, Shen Mengyu, Wang Linlin, Pan Hongyan

England XI: L. Bronze, A. Greenwood, M. Earps, R. Daly, M. Bright, J. Carter, G. Stanway, K. Zelem, L. Hemp, A. Russo, Lauren James

Subs: J. Nobbs, E. Roebuck, C. Kelly, L. Coombs, B. England, C. Wubben-Moy, Ella Toone, H. Hampton, Esme Morgan, Niamh Charles, Katie Robinson